Author: easeverns

Classroom Management Plan

Still working on it, there are spots that i need to put additional research in and pictures that need to be replaced, they’re just in there to hold a spot.

Suicide in all grade levels is becoming more and more of a problem. There was just a boy from my hometown who was 14 that was reported missing and armed, they put the schools in the area on lockdown but found him in the desert 2 days later, he had committed suicide. It turns out that he had been bullied and cyber bullied continuously until he felt this was the only way out. It hurts my heart to know that kids and people feel there is no other way. The fact that it comes to that shows that there is not enough resources and support for those who need it. For college students that stress comes from a different source, the article talks about a girl who felt so much pressure to be perfect. It was clear this complex stemmed from her parents and she had little way of realizing there was any other route other than perfection which drove her to near suicide. I learned that something can always be done to help. Even as educators it is our responsibility to remain observant and maintain responsible for the students we have. These kids show signs when they are contemplating suicide we need to notice changes in their behavior and see what may affect them in different ways. For Kathryn it was pressure to be perfect for other students it can be bullying or home problems no matter the reason students always exhibit some type of symptoms. These can be not eating, declining grades, change in attitude or mood and making preparations. We can show these students there is always hope and give them the help they need.

One thing I really liked about the teacher I observed was her sponge assignments for right when the students come into class, they know right away to come in grab their folder and get started on the assignment on the board or in their folder. The 8^th grade group had a passage on the board to revise and correct and they reviewed as a class when finished. The 7^th grade class had a list of words they needed to use in a sentence and also shared when finished. This quick assignment made it so the kids were ready to jump into the lesson after and they actually even had fun with it. The teacher used different strategies to help the kids enjoy the assignment like assigning the first one who finished correctly as stamper, who goes around and checks everyone else’s paper. During lessons her kids were all very attentive and in the event that she noticed they were starting to lose interest or get side tracked she would ask random questions to pull them back into the lesson. She was also up and walking the class constantly, checking work, unless she was teaching the lesson at the board then she was all over the room. When it was time to close the lesson she clearly stated that time was almost up so they needed to find a good stopping point and proceed to put their materials away. This time of the class is usually hectic but when I was watching her class they were all very respectful and got up put away their things and sat down when finished, quietly too! She has the processes in her class down to routine, the kids always know what to expect and act accordingly.

When I was observing the biggest transition, I noticed was class change. The 8^th grade class was a bit rowdier than the 7^th grade class but still by the time the bell rang for class to start each student was in their seats with their materials ready to start. I was told that it was school policy that if they were not seated and ready by the bell that they would be considered late, but none the less it proved effective for the students and teacher. Bathroom was another transition but I did not see big problems with it. Students went and came back on their own so I assume they know that they cannot take advantage of the bathroom pass because only 2 or 3 kids left the entire period and came back fairly quickly. One of the 7^th grade classes I watched had their lunch period right after that class and usually students are ready for lunch they tune out and I did not really see any of that. The kids were always really attentive and engaged.

One strategy I plan on using in my class is to be relateable to real-life. While the teacher was giving a lecture about plot she mentioned began with a story about the intro to a video game. This is something the kids knew well and could connect to the content they are learning. She also told the kids a funny story about when she was in middle school, and they loved it. It helped her get them to relate to the book they were reading a little more.

A lot of the teachers we remember from grade school are the ones who showed they care, were excited to be there, and the ones who honestly wanted us to learn and grow, these are the teachers who made impacts in the lives of their students and were the ones we consider to be good teachers. These teachers all exhibited the traits that the two articles are talking about. What I have learned not only from this course but from teachers I have encountered in my life as well as from dealing with students myself is that student teacher relationships are critical to be a good teacher because without them your kids will have no desire to learn or grow. By developing these relationships, it is easier for you to create that safe comfortable environment that they so desperately need. By creating these relationships shows that you care, which is the main focus of both articles. I also liked the fact that in Collins’ article she says you’re not just a teacher but also play so many other roles in a student’s life. Some other aspects of creating an inviting classroom is to develop rules and procedures so the kids know what to expect when they come to your class every day. By reading these articles I learned that it is important to have that sense of humor and stay lighthearted, I learned this just from being a parent. Life just like teach can be stressful at times and making sure you can see the lighter side of things can really help stay sane, it will also help your students relate to you a bit more as well as see that they do not have to be scared to be around authority figures such as teachers. I have learned that A LOT goes into being a good teacher, not just being able to recite all that you know about your content area, you must know to love your kids for who they are and to be able to want to help them.

https://www.teachervision.com/classroom-management-strategies

Personalized learning is a relatively new method, but seems to be catching on fairly quickly. It is a innovative idea that caters to the diversity of all students, which sounds great at first. It seems Personalized learning has a long way to go before it becomes a definitive method of teaching, it needs a lot of fixing to be clearly understood by teachers, students, and parents. I am still unclear on how and what qualifies for personalized material. In fact, as the article states the materials can be so varied that it is like there is almost none. There are benefits to using personalized learning such as the ability for students to go at their own pace, whether they are struggling and need to go slower or excel at the content being taught and need more challenging material. By using personalized learning in the classroom students could gain a stronger sense of confidence in themselves, since learning is so individualized it would be easier for students to build on their own strengths and give them a sense of pride in their work that they would not get if they were doing something they had no interest in. Now on the other side of the coin personalized learning can be difficult to implicate because it has such a wide variety of differences in learning styles and what works. Since every student is different it is almost like each student would have to have different activities that work for them. This in turn puts the work load for the teacher through the roof. It can also prove difficult for teachers to change the mind set they already have so they can incorporate personalized learning. Lastly, there is no real proof, at least as far as the article stated that complete personalized learning actually works. I do believe that in moderation personalized learning is beneficial. However, giving students complete reign on the entire curriculum would be wrong. Students, I feel, benefit from good structure and minimal stress that keeps kids motivated. It is our jobs as teachers to observe what works for our students and what doesn’t and modify to find what fits best for everyone. That does not mean leaving students for may not understand behind it just means taking a little extra time to work with that student so they can be successful as well.

https://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/a-new-era-in-teaching-the-rise-of-personalized-learning/education

I personally avoid talking any kind of politics because I do not stay completely informed and it is such a touchy subject that often offends many people. Also, I would not want to make any claim without thoroughly researching and learning about the situation, so I did just that. After a bit of research, I learned DACA is a bill designed to help illegal minors avoid deportation for two years while they attend school or work, their temporary admittance to the US can be renewed at the end of their two years. With that in mind I initially think this is a great bill because it has the best interests of immigrants in mind, people that honestly had no other choice to be here. Minors are being brought into the US illegally by their parents, which obviously goes against laws here. But if given a path to become legal, productive, and contributing members of society it is a bill that can benefit our nation. DACA assists people that have been in the U.S. most of their lives and have fairly strict requirements to obtain a spot. By terminating the bill people that could be good citizens are being denied the chance to do just that. I do not agree that getting rid of the bill is the best idea but I do believe that the guidelines need to be followed to the dot and that the member needs to make an honest effort to become a legal citizen during the time they are protected by DACA.

https://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/immigration/349725-obama-and-trump-are-both-right-on-daca